Credit Supply and Human Capital: Evidence from Bank Pension Liabilities
64 Pages Posted: 25 Apr 2019
There are 2 versions of this paper
Capital Inflows, Credit Growth and Skill Allocation
Date Written: April 23, 2019
Abstract
We identify the effects of exogenous credit constraints on firm ability to attract and retain skilled workers. To do so, we exploit a shock to the value of the pension obligations of Portuguese banks resulting from a change in accounting norms. Using bank-firm credit exposures that we match with a census of all Portuguese employees, we show that firms in a relationship with affected banks borrow less and reduce employment mostly of high-skilled workers. High-skilled workers are more likely to exit and less likely to join affected firms. Overall, credit market frictions might have long lasting effects on firm productivity and growth through firm accumulation of human capital.
Keywords: credit frictions, employment, skills, wages
JEL Classification: G21, J21, J24
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation